I adore cold soups. When I was young, my mother started her first vegetable garden just so she could make this dish, and she grew everything it required. I was impressed. So were our friends. My mom’s gazpacho was one of those recipes that everyone requested. It’s crucial to refrigerate the gazpacho for several hours before serving—not only does it need to chill, but you also need to let the flavors come together. Read more >

I adore cold soups. When I was young, my mother started her first vegetable garden just so she could make this dish, and she grew everything it required. I was impressed. So were our friends. My mom’s gazpacho was one of those recipes that everyone requested. It’s crucial to refrigerate the gazpacho for several hours before serving—not only does it need to chill, but you also need to let the flavors come together.

Gazpacho dates back to Roman times, when it was made with bread, water, vinegar, oil and salt. All of the Andalusian regions (called Comarcas) have their own version of this soup. Ever since its creation, this soup was riffed on: First, there was the addition of garlic, and then, in the south of Spain, it began to include vegetables. Now there are many versions of gazpacho, most differentiated by color. Red gazpachos are made with tomato; white ones are made with almonds and grapes; and green gazpachos are made with herbs. Ironically, all of them are made with some type of bread used as a binder, but in our country (and with my mom's recipe in particular), that ingredient is now simply a garnish. Frying small bread cubes in garlic and butter is my suggestion. Try it.